Last Post

Well this is it. I'm commin Back. I'll miss Japan, but I'm looking forward to commin back.

Me and my host family went out to Sushi last night as my farewell party thing. I actualy kinda preffer the sushi back in the states. I just think that sushi here isn't that big of a deal so they don't put as much effort into it. My Homestay parents did give me a very nice gift too. I like it alot. We shared a bottle of Sake and ate sushi.

I learned alot on this trip. I think the biggest thing I learned was that people are people. We may have diffrent ways of doing things, but we're all basicaly the same, with the same want's and needs.

I met some very interesting people too. Including character types I didn't think existed in real life.

I never did get to see kabuki or noh, except for that one street performance. I guess i'll have to come back again. And I gotta reach the top of Fuji!

I'll have to keep in touch with my homestays too. They said they'd send christmas cards.

Well I don't belive in goodbyes. I'll just look forward to when we meet again.

Misses and Miss-ints

Stuff I'll Miss

Coolish
Lotte Chocolate
convient transportation
cute Japanese girls
Stephane
my Storm tomodachi
My homestays
crunchy Udon
shinto shrines
Sembe
cheep snacks
fast internet connection
cleen roads and people
polite people who care
moutains
delicious fish
chopsticks
Akihabura
Shin tokorozawa
Gaijin Smash!!!

Stuff I won't miss

Side long glaces on the trains
train shunning
crouded trains
hitting my head on stuff
the CIEE core course
...Cources
people treating me like an idiot, whether it's true or not.
being unable to acomplish simple tasks without the help of an english speaking japanese person.
slimy food
food that I saw killed
nato
supai
being the leas clean person around
feeling awkward

Stuff I'm looking forward too

PIZZA!
the Bavarian Smoke house
Cheese
cerial
real milk
cool wheather
english
family
school tomodachi
D&D
a real bed
with real pillows
CYOTIE!!!!
TV

Fuji san

After finnishing Finals I decided that the best way to get rid of that awful mess and cleer my mind for america was to climb fuji san. Aaron already had and no one else I knew seemed interested so I went alone. I turned in my last asignment and caught the four o'clock bus to 五合目 (gogoume), fifth station, which is about 2,000 m off sea level. Aaron warned me that I would want food, water and warm clothing so I brought a long sleave shirt and bought some bread and watter. He also said to get A stick, so I did. And I'm glad I did, though I cant take it back to america with me. Fuji san is rediculously expensive so be forwarned future travelers. I spent close to fifty dollars and I could easly have spent more.

It was 7:00 when I got there and spent an hour making purchases. You climb at night in order to see the sunrise in the morning fromm atop of mount fuji. I was already tired as I hadn't slept the night before because I had been working on my asignment. I admit this was a bad Idea, but I wanted to clinmb and this was my last chance before I came back. You start by going down, kind of a missnomer, especialy in the dark, but after a while you hit the trail up. This was actualy one of my favorate parts of the trip as I got to actualy walk into a cloud! The clouds hang low round Fuji and touch the sides, hence all the paintings with the clouds in front of Fuji. after this the trail got difficult and I strugled a bit getting up the hills,m but I was finaly doing something I always wanted to do. I just wished it wern't so darn hot... oh foolish me.

The sticks you by have beels attached. These are shinto in nature, as climbing Fuji used to be a somewhat holy experiance. The bells wake the かみ (kami), or spirits and let them hear your prayers, or so I have been told. Of course this is all comercialised and my bells fell off. Anyway I finnaly made it to 六合目 (rokugoume), or sixth station, and rested for a while. Thats where I met the nice girl Amanda who took my picture. The security personele handed out maps to the climbers in english and japanese, 30% of the climbers are forgien anyway. This is when I learned that my climb hadn't begun yet... I had strugled to get to the begining of the hike. It was going to be a long climb.

Well after I caught my breath and rested a little, had a little oishii cheese bread that I had bought, (wish I had some now)I pulled myself up by my boot straps and started the climb. The first part of the hike is a seiries of ramps. I'd say 20 in all, that cut back and forth along Fuji's face. It's a hard climb and I was glad I was alone So that I could go at my own pace. Basicly it means I stoped and rested at about every turn of the ramp. Before long I was soaked to the bone with sweat and half my water was gone. I was sad it was dark and overcast, because you couldn't see anything. Oh well I'll see on the way down.

The ramps ended in what I can only describe as... moutain climbing. You climb up the last bit, finding you way amoung the stones and volcanic ash. This becomes the norm after seventh station. Finaly a stair and you reach the first 七合目(nanagoume), or seventh station. there are people up here who sell to the climbers watter and searings, which are marks burned into your stick that tell where you have been. rest and food and water. next is the longest climb on fuji, the streach between 七合目 and 八合目 (hachigoume), eighth station. This is truely moutain climbing. you use your hands at some points and have to climb up. it's kinda like climbing to the top of the Sears tower using the stairs. I met these two men from the american Airforce base who were here to book it as fast as they could to the top. they were good guy's but soon left me in the dust. It was around here that disaster struck. First my left, then My right thigh pulled. The pain was excruciating and I could hardly move my legs. But I was determined to make it and I set off. Step after painful step I forced my way up the moutain. When my legs got to the point where I simply could not will them on I pulled off the trail and rested till I could. (I sound kinda kool huh? trust me It won't last long)

I pushed my self and made it to the Torigate. Tori gates are used in shinto religion to mark the holy from the un holy. A spiritual barrier if you will. I passed through. I rested here for about a half an hour and my legs rested too. A Japanese tour group passed me on the way up. It's amasing that so many old people make this climb. Some of them have to be in thier sixties! Well pulled my self together for the last streatch. Before now the wind had been still, but now it picked up, and it chilled me to the bone. My couths were soaked through and now they turned to Ice. I didn't know that you needed winter gear for this moutain, and now I wish I had been beter informed. I also would have brought tylonal... This steach was the worst I frose if I stoped and my legs screamed in pain If I continued. I grited my teath and finnaly pulled through. 八合目 at last.

3 more hours to the top. I couldn't move my legs to walk anymore and I was shivering incompolsary. I stoped at a first aid station and they put me up for the night. I'm not happy about that, but I couldn't continue in that state. I might end up like those guys lieing in those beds breathing through tubes. A couple pain relievers, cold pads, and 三千円　later I was in a sleeping bag at hotel fuji. The cots here were kinda like a padded aushwits, kinda steep for thiry bucks, but at least I wasn't freasing anymore and my legs didn't have to walk anymore. The next morning I wasn't fareing much better, but I got to see the sunrise from 3150 meters up, and I have to say It's one of the most beutiful sights you can see. It's no wonder that it's on the Japanese flag.

I took pictures, but I didn't get a searing at 八合目. Which is too bad because the doctor reconmended I head down and I agreed. I went back down the way I came and took pictures. Down is easier, but not by a hole lot. I was hurting again before I reached 六合目 I found out on my way down that there is a seperate way down your suposed to take...woops. oh well.

I was sad I didn't make it to the summit, but, yknow, climbing Fuji san is a life goal, and as soon as I finnish I'll be one step closer to... Death? I guess I'll wait a little. besides It gives me a reason to come back and do it again, and maby I'll climb it with some one. A girl perhaps? I'll be better prepaired and better equiped and the spirits of Fuji San will remember my name. I am Dane!

Finals

Well it's Final time here in tokyo and I just took my First Japanese Final... which I failed. Needless to say I'm not that happy about it. Hopefully the oral part and tomarows test will bring my grade back up. Dammit I though I knew the Kanji! how did every single Kanji I didn't know get on the test!

My Partner in the Japanese Oral exam was interesting. She has lived in Japan for five years and never bothered to learn Japanese. She dresses in the hip pop krap thats popular now and thinks that 300$ sunglasses are cheep! How diluded is that! she must be roleing in dough, at least her old man's dough cause I don't think anyone would spend money they earned on anything so frivroles as 300$ sunglasses.

Had another earthquake a while ago. It was a big one but not in tokyo, though we felt it here. Aparently there was alot of damage and quite a few people died.

Speaking about death one of the host fathers passed away a couple weeks ago. I don't know how the student is doing, but My homestay mother has been going to wakes and and other events related. No word has come from CIEE about it, or any word at all sence Andie left. I don't know If I metioned that...

Andie trotter, problably the best member of the CIEE team, was eiter fired or quit. The details of the situation havent been told to us. In fact nobody has said anything at all and we don't get updates any more, which is annoying. I hope I at least get the money thats coming to me...

I guess I'm ready to come back. I like Japan, but I realy want a pizza and spegetti sause. Aaron has the right idea with his idea of goin to the Olive Garden. I've actualy been eating alot of McDonalds, but I problably wont when I come back. I recently found where I can get cheese, which makes me happy. Man I wish we could go back to Lake geniva and hit the Cheese box again... but that trip is a little dificult now adays. I'm gonna buy about 50$ worth of food to bring back including lotte, pokkie, and mayonaise. It will be sweet! Literaly.

Well I have one more project to complete and another test to take and as of now I'm going to fuji san on the 26th. I'm going alone, but it's something I want to do. wish me luck!

STORM

Storm is the title of the show I just completed. It was a krapy student written adaptation of william shakesperes the tempest. I didn't realy like it and didn't invite alot of people, but the Japanese audiance seemed to like it. There is alot of over acting here as a general rule of thumb. All actions need to be over played here because that is what is expected. It's hard to explain... When something is brought to a public setting it shouldn't be too real, because that is to private. Musicals are a big thing here as are plays with big actions. Even smaller shows play actions and feelings big, maby to big for an american audiance but just right here. So I felt kinda stupid plaing some of my parts and some of the other actors choices I thought were a bit wierd, but it worked in this setting. I also belive that our show mannaged to reach the level of "so bad, it's good." I especialy liked the tradic end where every one died and the audiance laughed as each body hit the floor. Yea the show was ok... (grumble grumble grumble) I felt that my acting was sub par, I still don't know what I'm doing in the theater program at wesleyan.

The Storm is also referance to the tropical storm heading our way. It's already been raining for 24 hrs. I hope the wind gets strong enough to blow me off the ground. That would be awsome! I guess tomarrow will be an inside day.

I also had my first experiance with Japanese Karioke. It was alot of fun and I wish I had stuck around longer, but I had to catch my train back to shin-tokorozawa. I actualy went to the train station, changed my mind about going, and went back to have karioke fun. Then I went back to the train station latter and thought I had missed the last train, dooming me to 5 hrs of karioke. I mean it was fun, but I wanted sleep... So I went back to find that they were packing up the party, so I ran back to the station, went to a diferent station and was able to catch another train back. Wheeew. It kinda sucks living outside the city. You have to get up early and you don't get back until late. I finaly understand DAD! Sorry you had to drive all that way every day.

Ok thats all for now
Dane

Earthquake

Sorry for those of you who read this. It has taken me awhile to rectify Bloggers error of dumping my previous message.

I Experianced my first earthquake the other day. It was actualy kind of fun. Everything shakes for a bit and then it goes away. I'm sure I'd think differently if it were more serious... or was riding the trains at the time, which shut down completely for an half an hour or so. This is crazy in Japan by the way because the trains are almost never late... EVER.

My homestay mother's brother recently went into the hospital for something. I can't realy tell because of all the Japanese. The word cancer was brought up, but I don't realy know. He is supposed to be quite old; in his eightys. I hope he pulls through.

This incident has left me privy to another Japanese custom: Smileing at adversity. You don't every show unhappyness or anger in Japan ... or at least only at special circumstances. My homestay mother said, with a smile, that her brother had to go to the hospital for a while. I can understand. Afterall I'm a guest and not realy part of the famley so I shouldn't be worried about it or see my host mom upset.

This applys to buisness too. emploies always have a smile on thier face, even if you do something rude or wrong. They also apologise alot. I bet if you hit someone here, they would apologise for thier face being in the way of your fist! Well maby it's not that bad, but still, you get my point.

There was this jerk in my acting class who keeps showing up drunk and making rude remarks to the girls. Even with dealing with this guy everyone is all smiles and giggles. Later they berate him from behind. I think thats just the way it's done here. The avoidence of direct confrontation...

The play is complete krap and everyone I've talked to thinks so too. I'll do my best anyway though...I did pay for this class.

I realy REALY need to get to work!